Progressive activist Cori Bush defeats 20-year incumbent Rep. William Lacy Clay

(Image credit: Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP, File)

published 5 August 2020

In a stunning victory, progressive activist Cori Bush defeated Rep. William Lacy Clay in Missouri's 1st Congressional District Democratic primary on Tuesday.

Clay has represented the district for the last 20 years, and before that, his father, William Lacy Clay Sr., held the seat for three decades. Bush ran against the incumbent in 2018, but lost by a 20-point margin. On Tuesday, with 100 percent of precincts reporting, Bush has 48.6 percent of the vote, compared to Clay with 45.5 percent.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.